


A is for AJ

by HM (HyperMint)



Series: Alphabet [1]
Category: Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Alphabet, Drabbles, Ensemble Cast, Friendship, Gen, Magnificent Seven AU: ATF, One-Shots, light - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-01-25
Updated: 2012-12-21
Packaged: 2017-10-30 02:29:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/326773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyperMint/pseuds/HM
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>26 letters and 26 chapters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. AJ

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Mag7 is not mine.
> 
> AN: AJ is a character that I am trying to construct an M7 ATF universe around, so don't be at all surprised to find things that you don't know about. As soon as I get most of the establishing story, Incomplete, done, you'll learn more.
> 
> BTW, I know that Alphabet stories have been done, but this is my take on it.

A is for AJ

***

AJ Johnson prided herself on being able to adapt to all types of different things at the drop of a hat.

Being assigned to Team Seven as secretary was no big deal for her. She was already a secretary for… It was best not to think about it for long.

Her friend, Buck Wilmington, still had the habit of growling every time he thought that she was thinking of her former job at the FBI. 

All of them did, really.

She knew all of them would never actually touch her, but she still found herself inching away from Chris Larabee when he looked at what remained of bruises on the visible parts of her.

They were all a good bunch of guys. 

Even if they were all considered overprotective of a former doctor from Vermont, who’s entire support system was - literally - torn apart inside of a year.


	2. Blue jay

B is for Blue jay

***

JD Dunne skid to a halt before he slammed into AJ, their new secretary, and darted past the startled brunette.

“Guys! Hey, guys, you’ll never guess!”

“What now, kid?” Buck rolled his eyes as he leaned back in his chair. 

AJ had reversed direction and poked her head into the office. “What’s all the excitement?”

“One of my friends from Boston is gonna be in town for an art exhibit.”

“Sounds good,” Vin Tanner nodded slightly. “What’s the exhibit?”

“Eastern Birds.”

“We got one right here,” Buck huffed, rolling his eyes.

“Eastern Birds…” AJ leaned against the open door and frowned at him. “You know, one of my dorm mates from med school recommended the Blue jay area.”

“Really?” JD whirled with a grin. “Why is that? Do you want to come, too?”

“It’s not going to be for another month, though, isn’t it? And I have it on good authority that one of the artists did a particularly interesting picture of a blue jay in the snow.”

Buck tilted an eyebrow. “How so?”

“One of our other dorm mates did the picture,” she lifted a shoulder. 

“That’s cool,” Vin stretched.

“I would have thought so, too,” she chuckled. “I was there at the time.”

“Then you must remember that picture,” JD pointed out.

“Oh, I couldn’t forget that trip,” she smiled as she turned to the folders in her arms. “It brought new meaning to the word ‘icicle’…”


	3. Cuervo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AJ is gay, boys and girls. I should probably mention that right now. I really don't quite like stories that have a new person joining the team and have one of the guys like her in a personal way. If you like the idea, I won't blame you if you go somewhere else. If you are like me and don't like any kind of OC getting with the boys, that's fine too. 
> 
> To be clear, I have always thought of AJ as gay and won't stand for anyone being mean about it. In the original universe I'm creating, I sort of need her to be gay in order for it to work the way I want it to. Since I am kind of tying this in, she will be gay here, too. If it makes any sense, this story won't actually be a part of the series. 
> 
> Think of this as a fun little side thing that I came up with to introduce her.

Ezra Standish smiled down at his welcoming committee and bent down for a quick pat on the head. “Good Afternoon, Cuervo.”

The orange and white tabby purred up at him before bounding off to explore one of the new cars that had come in that morning. Ezra smiled after him and continued on his way to the office he shared with five other men, in their team of eight.

Of course, they officially had seven members, but they counted their secretary as part of the team, because she was one of them, after all. As Ezra passed AJ’s workstation, she shook her head.

“You know, I used to think that you did that by accident,” she told him. “Now, it’s obvious you don’t have a setting for anything earlier than noon.”

“Of course, Ms. Johnson,” he smiled slyly. “And why would I have such a thing?”

 --

Vin was the first to realize something was wrong almost four hours later.

He had just come back from meeting with a snitch and was about to enter the elevator to head up when he remembered that he hadn’t seen Cuervo since that morning. Usually, the tabby would hang around and be the last thing Vin saw as he left and the first he saw upon his return. When he hadn’t seen the tabby before he left, he hadn’t thought anything of it.

Now, however, he wished he’d made sure the tabby was alright and playing around somewhere. So, it was with mounting worry that he started searching for his small friend.

When Nathan ran back down to his car for a forgotten note, he found Vin looking under the car. “Vin? What’s wrong?”

“Nate! I can’t find Cuervo! Help me look for him.” Having a good relationship with the cat himself, Nathan sighed and helped look for him.

Two hours later, Chris, Buck and Ezra had joined the search and were starting to really worry. Josiah and JD contributed by calling all the animal shelters and asking who had seen Cuervo last. AJ didn’t really know what was going on, but she did the best she could by trying to keep up with the phones and try to schedule meetings that would last into the next week. It was as the boys of the team came together in the office that they all seemed to despair.

“Not to worry, Brothers,” Josiah tried to soothe, despite his own mounting panic. Cuervo was a friend to all of them. Vin would probably be the one most devastated if anything had happened to the feline. Movement at the door reminded them that it was time for AJ to head back to her apartment.

“Hold up, Darlin’,” Buck called tiredly. “We’ll walk you down to your car.”

“Well, hurry up,” she told them. “I have to get up tomorrow.”

As they went back down to the garage, JD patted Vin’s arm. “Let’s go looking for him again, Vin.”

“I could stay if you guys want me to,” AJ offered.

“Nah, you got that thing tomorrow,” Buck waved her off. “We can take care of this.”

“If you guys are sure…” The guys made certain she was safely inside her car and waved as she drove off.

“That’s one less person to worry about,” Nathan went to one corner to resume the search when Chris’ phone went off.

The blond sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Larabee.”

_“Hi, Chris.”_

“Forget something?” he smiled slightly at AJ’s sheepish hello.

_“Uh, I don’t suppose Cuervo is a smallish tabby, orange and white, and has a collar with a tag?”_

“Fits him to a T alright,” he frowned. “Why? Did you find him?” All of his team headed toward him and caught his side of the conversation.

“Is he alright?” JD wanted to know as Buck frowned. “Where is he?”

 _“You could say that,”_ her smile was apparent in her voice. _“Next time, I’ll keep my eye out for stowaways before I get in the car. We’ll see you boys in a few minutes, right, Cuervo?”_

Chris had to chuckle as he heard the familiar meow through the line.


	4. D is for Dance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is anyone else having issues with updating stuff?
> 
> Also, this chapter will end up tying in with at least one other in our little story. Anyone want to take a guess at which one? I'll tell you when it comes up.

Eight year old Billy Travis sighed as he plopped down on his grandfather’s office couch.

His momma, Grandma and Grandpa were getting ready to go to one of his cousins’ weddings and he just couldn’t understand why he had to go, too. Staying at home and playing with his friends was more fun than having to dress up and go to this stupid wedding!

His Grandpa smiled at him and chuckled. “Hannah’s been waiting on this day since she was your age,” he told him. “She’s very excited that you’re going to be there.”

“I’m not,” he muttered.

“I wouldn’t expect you to be,” the older man nodded. “Billy, I was hoping you could do something for me. If you could run down to give something to Chris?”

As expected, the young Travis immediately hopped up, always eager to spend time with his hero. “Sure!”

In seconds, Billy was on his way with a manila envelope in his arms. Rocking on his heels, he was really excited to see Chris. Oh, the others were fun, too. Chris, though, was his favorite, but Buck and Vin and JD were the others he liked to hang out with.

The elevator doors opened and Billy walked down the short hall, turning the corner and stopping at the scene in front of him. Chris and the rest of Team Seven seemed to be in a stare-down with their new secretary, Ms. AJ.

Billy thought she was okay - for a girl - and didn’t really mind her. Though… sometimes, he would notice her looking at Chris like she had seen him before, but couldn’t remember where. Billy got that feeling sometimes, so he could relate. Ms. AJ didn’t seem to like other ladies in the building when they tried to ‘butter up’ to one of the team and that made Billy like her even more, because Chris might - or not - like his mom and Billy didn’t want anything to interfere with that.

Ms. AJ wasn’t a threat to his momma because… well, Billy had suspicions regarding just what kind of person Ms. AJ was interested in because he’d seen her stare after Ms. Inez the way Buck did sometimes.

Billy idly wondered what it meant for Ms. AJ to be more interested in girls than boys when he saw her walk around her desk.

“No and that’s final.”

“Aw, c’mon, Darlin’!” Buck whined. “You have to!”

“Yeah, AJ,” JD insisted. “You’re the only girl we know that doesn’t have anything to do today.”

“Well, you could just do it with each other,” she sniffed, sitting in her chair. “Guys, I have paperwork to do and I can’t put it off.”

“Yes, you can,” Buck nodded vigorously. “Chris? You’re the boss. Tell her she doesn’t have to do paperwork.”

“Normally, I would say no,” Chris leaned against the wall. “But I really don’t think any of us would feel comfortable asking anyone else.”

“Right. And why is it that every time you need a girl, you all just so _happen_ to conveniently remember that I’m one?”

Billy nodded absently. He noticed that, too.

“We wouldn’t do that to you,” Nathan shook his head. “But we really do need you.”

“Yeah, ya do,” she shot back. “See? Even Billy agrees with me.”

“Huh?” Buck turned to see him. “Hey! Didn’t see you there, Pard.”

Now that the attention was on him, Billy smiled widely. Once they had all moved to the break room, Billy had explained that his grandpa wanted him to give Chris something.

Once the older man had his envelope, Billy shifted uneasily. He didn’t really want to go, but it seemed like they were waiting for him to leave so that they could try to get Ms. AJ to do what they were talking about earlier. AJ, bless her, saw his dilemma and an idea started to take root.

“Billy,” she crouched down next to him. “I know you like hanging out with Chris and all, so I was wondering if you would help me. I give you my word that you’ll be able to hang out with him. I mean, if you like.”

“So, you’re going to do it?!” JD bounced, happy to get started.

“Only if Billy says he’ll help,” she said flatly. Billy knew he would do anything to help Chris, and he also knew that the blond wanted AJ to do something. If AJ said that she would do whatever it was only on his agreeing…

“What are you going to do, anyway?” he wanted to know.

“There’s apparently going to be something going on and they’ve decided that they want to practice dancing.”

“Dancing?” he wrinkled his nose. There would be that at the wedding, too.

“Yeah,” she commiserated. “I hear you’ll be going to your cousin’s wedding, so I guess you’ll have to dance, too.”

Billy smiled slightly. Everyone had long decided that she was either a mind reader or psychic, so he wasn’t at all surprised she knew that. “Yeah…”

“That’s it then,” Buck rubbed his hands together. “This afternoon at the ranch.”

“Billy,” Chris said. “I’ll tell your grandfather you’ll be hanging out with us today.”

“Okay!”

\--

Mary didn’t know what in the world came over Billy, but, as she watched him easily lead one of his female cousins around the floor, she couldn’t help but be thankful that getting her son to the wedding went easier than she thought.

She had no way of knowing about the bargain that her son had agreed to with AJ and Team Seven…


	5. Even

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AJ never does things in even numbers. Of course, paperwork in triplicate may have something to do with it...

"Darlin', I done told you, if you're gonna be givin' us notes, ya don't have to give us more'n one copy!" Buck waved a colored sticky note under her nose.

"I did?" she stared blankly.

"Buck, I think AJ's been working too hard," JD raised a hand. "She's doing _everything_ in triplicate."

"That's not true," Josiah stretched. "Sister, I've been meaning to ask you this for a long time, now. Now, I'm not the only one who's been noticing this, but seems to me that you try avoiding doing things in even numbers."

"It's habit," she frowned slightly.

"How is it habit to do things in odd numbers?" Nathan lifted an eyebrow.

"It just is, okay?"

She lifted a shoulder as she went on her way. It was true, after all:

The ~~Council's~~ Old Network's symbol was a five pointed star.

She was lucky number three.

She now knew five pairs of twins in her lifetime that she was close with.

She was the oldest of three girls.

Thirteen was her favorite number.

Her published book series (which all the guys were fans of and she got a kick out of their conversations when JD called her the Ultimate Fan... Oh, she couldn't wait to see their faces when they found out...) was a trilogy.

She probably _was_ seeing / doing things in triplicate - being a secretary, that was sort of a given.

And her personal favorite...

Ezra would later point out that she wouldn't be here if she disliked odd numbers. "Our team's designation is, after all, Team Seven."

 


	6. Flight

Vin had never really been able to handle airplanes.

There was just something about not being on solid ground that just got him nervous. It wasn't that he was scared of heights, no, far from it. Being a sniper would be counter-intuitive were heights the problem.

"Vin," Nathan squeezed his shoulder. "I can up the dose, if you like."

"Nah," he smiled slightly. " 'M fine."

"Forgive me for doubting you, Mr. Tanner," Ezra eyed him, "but I beg to differ."

"You _do_ look kind of pale," JD added.

Josiah kept one eye on them as he scanned the crowd for a teal fedora. "Sister AJ's running late."

"I sent her to get some files before she headed here," Chris told them absently, also scanning for her.

"Fellas, can we not tell her 'bout this?" Vin requested.

"Why?" Buck frwoned. "Ain't like she's not gonna know anyway, what with them psychic powers she's got." Ezra opened his mouth to respond, only to to have Buck point at him. "Aht! Now, you know well's I do somethin's not right with some of them 'just in the neighborhood' stories. And you really expect me to believe she just so _happened_ to have that -"

"Hey, guys," AJ skid to a stop before them. "Sorry, I would've been here earlier, but -"

"Least you're here," Chris looked around at them. "Tanner, if you're sure..."

"Don't worry none 'bout me, Cowboy," Vin quirked a smile. "We'll be there in no time, right?"

"Yeah," JD agreed. "Six or seven hours will just zoom by, you bet." He grabbed his carry-on. "Hey, AJ. Won't this be awesome? It's the first time you went on a plane with us."

Chris held Vin back as the others went ahead. "Vin, you know you can tell AJ about it, if you want."

"I know," he lifted a shoulder. He did, but he'd never liked sharing weakness before, even to friends. Although he seemed to want to be especially tough around AJ, which was ridiculous because she'd been with them for near two years now and had arguable seen them all through the ups and downs. "I'll think on it."

"Let me know," he clapped Vin on the arm.

Of course, it _figured_ that once the plane started moving down the runway, they realized that they had overlooked a very important piece of information: The boys had never been on a flight with her...

and they most certainly never asked if she was afraid of flying...


	7. Gone

Chris looked around at his seven teammates and sighed.

True, they weren't blood related, but he found them every bit as much of a family to him as Sarah and Adam were.

But, Sarah and Adam were gone, weren't they?

Every one of them had lost someone somewhere along the way:

Vin and his Ma.

JD and his own Ma.

Buck and his own mother, along with Sarah and Adam.

Nathan lost his father.

Josiah may have his sister, but lost someone that Chris couldn't help suspecting was his son. And, boy, that had been a revelation.

Ezra... well, he lost a favored cousin just last year. So he said...

Chris sometimes wondered about the undercover agent, but it wasn't his place to ask.

And AJ...

Green eyes watched as the brunette fiddled with a small trinket that he vaguely remembered someone giving to him when he was a kid.

None of them knew exactly what her story was, but the shadows that sometimes crossed her grey eyes and the faraway looks told them that she had had her heart shattered.

And sometimes Chris thought her heart had been irrevocably shattered in the same way that his had been.

And Ezra had told them once that her real family was all still alive and well...

Chris rubbed a hand over his mouth as he glanced at his own family.

If their suspicions were correct, then AJ had also once had a family much in the same way that the team saw each other as.

Chris was sure that none of the boys would ever be the same if that scenario happened to them.

They all wondered what she'd been like before they met her, but they doubted she would be that woman again. The pre-Denver AJ was gone. Just like so many others.

"Hey, Chris," JD's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "You okay?"

"'Course he is," Buck rolled his eyes. "Kid, you worry too much."

AJ, though, met green eyes with a knowing smile.

"Say, Darlin'," Chris used their nickname for the brunette as he studied her. "Are you really psychic?"

"In your dreams, maybe," she took the seat next to him. "But it's been my experience that similar pain recognizes each other."

Chris smiled slightly as he returned his attention to the others.

"But, you know," AJ followed his gaze. "Once they're gone, they can't come back."

"Except in our dreams," Chris leaned back and closed his eyes. 'Except in our dreams.'


End file.
